The progression review committee
A registrar’s progression and performance are discussed regularly throughout training with input from their supervisor, ME, ECT visitors, training coordinator or other local training program team members. These discussions help with planning learning, tracking a registrar’s progression and competency attainment, and enable early identification of the need for additional support. These discussions are generally held at the local team level.
Following these discussions, if the local team has identified a significant issue and raised a red flag, the registrar will need to be referred to the progression review committee (PRC). In the case of an amber flag, the local team can decide if referral to the PRC is for noting or discussion depending on the nature and significance of the concern. It is not unusual for details about a registrar’s progression to be referred to the PRC for noting, review or discussion throughout training. The PRC referral process is depicted in Figure 7.
The role of the PRC is to:
- oversee registrar progression
- provide support and/or advice to the local team when the team has recommended educational support, remediation and supervision
- conduct ongoing review of registrars who have been flagged by their local team
- determine eligibility for progression to Fellowship exams and application for Fellowship
- conduct random quality assurance reviews of registrar portfolios.
The PRC meets every two months or as appropriate to the needs of each region.
Recommendations from the PRC are communicated to and implemented by the local team (Figure 8).
Circumstances that commonly trigger a referral to the PRC include:
- WBA activities indicate that an area of performance is consistently significantly below the standard
- feedback from the supervisor, practice, or ME indicates a concern including significant personal issues that may impact on training
- concerns about a registrar’s professionalism
- placement of restrictions on the registrar’s medical registration by AHPRA
If a registrar’s progress through training has been discussed at the PRC and a recommendation has been made, the registrar’s ME will discuss this with them. The outcome of the PRC review will also be communicated to the supervisor if they are involved in providing educational support. This process and communication provide an excellent opportunity to develop a plan to address any training or learning needs and ensure registrars receive the most appropriate support.